January’s Crossings 2

Old man winter howls in rage. His icy breath blasts across the three rivers bringing the deep chill that always comes in the last half of January and early portions of February. As I walk up the track towards the perfect spot to get my shot I’m assailed with tiny bits of ice. Somewhere off to my left I can here the panicked call of a female cardinal. She can’t seem to find her mate and she’s very worried. Instinctively I glanced down towards the direction she’s calling just in time to see something bright red drop from a twig in the underbrush. My heart sinks because the river is up and the male has fallen close to the edge. But I can’t see where he landed. The female is really freaking out now and I began to look for a way down. It’s a myth that if you touch a bird that it’s mate will reject it. There was one other time about fifteen years ago when I scooped up a stunned make cardinal out of the street and sat it gently in a safer place. As soon as I stepped away his mate flew too his side until he felt like flying home. I saw them together many times afterwards. I began to head in the direction of the place where this one fell but after just a few steps he burst forth into the sky like a rocket and rejoined his forever beloved. When he appeared the female’s calls seemed to change from panic to cheering. As they sheltered together under the overhang of a roof it occurred to me that sometimes all you need to be strong is someone who believes in you. Once assured that all was well with the cardinals I returned to shot. The old trestle bridge stood there unshaken by old man winter’s morning tantrum. Perhaps it too merely needs someone to believe in its strength in order to stand against the storm.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to FollowLloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

Ring this bell for Facebook

Recently, I’ve been made aware that many of my posts on Facebook are being buried in the feed. So, if you don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website at the bottom of theWelcome Page

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “January’s Crossings 2”and is available forpurchase by using theContact Form onmy website.( justclick on thethe bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

Ring this bell to order prints or schedule portraits

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use theContact Formor message me on Facebook.

Thank you Sophia ❤ it's a true story. The only reason there's no picture of the birds is because they wound up on a private home and I have a strict rule against photographing an occupied dwelling without written permission.

Thank you 😊 There are occasionally houses in my photos but not zoomed in on them. In 2012 straight line wind covered my house with trees that fell from the mountain behind my home. My house was on the national news for weeks and we couldn’t get a moment’s peace because of the gawkers who came to take pictures of my miseries. I swore at that moment that I would never violate another person’s privacy.

Oh, wow. That must have been a very difficult thing to go through, very invasive indeed. Did you have to stand up to them? I’m surprised journalists wouldn’t have taken greater care. There is a case in the U.K. where the famous Tate Gallery allows patrons to see through the windows of their neighbours and the residents of the glass houses petition was rejected. Some are ignoring their petition because they’re rich, so who cares and they live in glass houses, they chose that, but contractors built those glass houses, after all, it would have been such a waste of money if people chose not to live there.

The media was fairly understanding because the local culture places a great emphasis on things like privacy and property rights. Technically they could stay a few feet away from my property and take all the photos they wanted but if I complained publicly they would lose public respect and that’s bad for business and ratings. So there’s a balance.